Ronald William De Long, a low vision proponent and an industry veteran, passed unexpectedly on Aug. 9, 2020, in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 78.

He was a distributor of magnifying aids at his passing, and previously served as past president and founding board member of the Low Vision Council and Low Vision Division of The Vision Council, a member of the AOA Low Vision Section and a former board member of the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association.

Additionally, Mr. De Long served as managing partner of Myoptica, CEO of Vision Advantage International, vice president of sales and marketing with Visionics Corp., vice president of new business ventures at Coburn Optical, and he spoke and wrote on low vision, marketing and quality management.

He earned his BA at UCLA and MBA at USC and was immensely proud of the four generations of De Longs who also attended UCLA. He leaves wife, Stephanie Kyser De Long (a contributor to Eyecare Business, a sister publication of Optometric Management), a sister, Linda Valliant, five children: Marti Duyshart (Eric), Debbie Suddarth (Jack), Terri De Long, Ronny De Long, Justin De Long—one stepdaughter, Heather Walter, five grandchildren (Peter and Mark Duyshart, Jake and McKenna Suddarth, Meredith De Long) and two step-grandchildren (Ela Zielinski and Zev Walter). OM